Film Festivals Archives - Page 2 of 6 - New York Women in Film & TelevisionNew York Women in Film & Television

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen

The 2025 Tribeca Festival is set to thrill audiences with the world premiere of Last Resort, a bold new thriller/sci-fi podcast series blending razor-sharp satire and psychological suspense. Among the dynamic cast are longtime collaborators and NYWIFT members Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen — an award-winning creative duo known for their boundary-pushing work across stage and screen. In this exclusive interview, the real-life couple opens up about their experience working together as actors on Last Resort, a project helmed by fellow NYWIFT member Melanie Armer and writer/creator Chance Muehleck. From their reflections on artistic community and inspiration, to the impact of premiering at Tribeca, Blank and Jensen give us a heartfelt, humorous, and deeply insightful glimpse into what makes Last Resort such a resonant and genre-defying story.

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Eileen Zyko Wolter

Please meet NYWIFT Member Eileen Zyko Wolter, a creator, writer, and actress whose journey has taken her from a Connecticut childhood shaped by a first-generation Muslim Albanian father and a mother descended from the Revolutionary War and Salem Witch Trials to the set of Queens of the Dead, premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. With a background in art history and film from Vassar College and training from The Atlantic Theater Company, The Actors Studio, and The Beverly Hills Playhouse, Eileen brings a unique blend of intellect, passion, and grit to every role. In this interview, Eileen shares what it was like to portray a zombie in Tina Romero’s thrilling directorial debut, her lifelong dream of joining SAG-AFTRA, and her love for the NYWIFT community that helped reignite her acting ambitions.

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Co-Directors and Producers Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin

The 2025 Tribeca Festival is kicking off with a bang as the world premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes takes center stage as part of the Opening Night Gala. This highly anticipated documentary, co-directed by the legendary multi-Emmy, Peabody and Grammy award-winning filmmaker Susan Lacy and Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer Jessica Levin, delves deep into the music, mind, and legacy of one of America’s greatest songwriters. In this exclusive NYWIFT interview, we speak with Susan, a proud NYWIFT member, and Jessica, her longtime collaborator, about the creative journey behind the film, the art of storytelling through music, and what it was like working alongside the Piano Man himself.

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Director, Producer, and Screenwriter Toby Perl Freilich

Award-winning filmmaker, writer, and NYWIFT member Toby Perl Freilich returns to the spotlight with her latest documentary, Maintenance Artist, making its world premiere in the Documentary Competition at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. Known for her deeply researched and socially resonant films such as Moynihan and Inventing Our Life: The Kibbutz Experiment, Freilich turns her lens to pioneering feminist artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, whose groundbreaking concept of “maintenance art” challenged the boundaries between art, labor, and gender. In this compelling new work, Freilich not only brings Ukeles’ vision to life but also preserves a vital historical record of performance art. In our exclusive interview, she opens up about the inspiration behind the film, the importance of platforms like Tribeca, and her journey as a multi-hyphenate creator paving the way for women in documentary filmmaking.

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Producer and Casting Director Lois Drabkin

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is proud to spotlight member Lois Drabkin, a dynamic force in the world of independent cinema. As the Co-Producer and Casting Director of Ride or Die, premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival as part of the prestigious U.S. Narrative Competition, Drabkin continues to champion bold, character-driven storytelling. With a career spanning acclaimed features such as Nancy, Colewell, and Glass Chin, and casting credits on groundbreaking projects like HBO’s The Wire and Showtime’s Years of Living Dangerously, Lois shares insights into her creative process, the evolution of Ride or Die, and her enduring commitment to supporting women in film.

NYWIFT at Tribeca 2025: In Conversation with Producer Marcella Steingart

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Marcella Garcia Steingart is making waves at the 2025 Tribeca Festival with the world premiere of her latest project, Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything, directed by Jackie Jesko. Produced in collaboration with ABC News Studios and Imagine Documentaries, the film offers a compelling and intimate look at the pioneering career of broadcast journalism icon — and 1997 NYWIFT Muse Honoree — Barbara Walters , the first woman to break into network evening news. With rare archival footage and powerful insights from cultural figures like Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, Andy Cohen, Joy Behar, Bette Midler, Connie Chung, and Cynthia McFadden, the documentary not only charts Walters’ trailblazing path but also explores deeper themes of sexism, ambition, and the high cost of public success. A proud NYWIFT member, Steingart brings her signature emotional depth and narrative artistry to the project. Her journey as a celebrated storyteller has earned her accolades across the industry — and Tell Me Everything may be her most powerful work to date.

Curtain Raiser: 2025 Tribeca Festival Ushers in a Powerful Celebration of Storytelling

It’s that time again! The Tribeca Festival returns to New York City from June 4–15, 2025, bringing together visionaries, changemakers, and creatives across film, television, immersive experiences, games, audio storytelling, and more. Stay tuned — we’ll be bringing exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes content, red carpet snapshots, and insight into the premieres and panels that everyone will be talking about. In the meantime, Tammy Reese offers us a sneak peak of some festival highlights.

Secrets of Film Festival Programmers

Filmmakers who spend a lot of time submitting to festivals can have a twisted view of what programmers actually do. The surprising secret? Many of them are filmmakers and buffs just like us, sitting in a room, watching films on a computer. Sometimes 20 short films in one day. NYWIFT member Cameron Kit, founder of YOYOS, a documentary storytelling company, interviewed 4 different film festival programmers from big and small festivals to get the inside scoop. What do programmers actually do? What goes on behind the laptop screen? Here are the Top 8 Programmer Secrets she discovered!

NYWIFT @ DOC NYC: In Conversation with Kim A. Snyder

The powerful short film Death By Numbers recently made its NYC premiere at DOC NYC 2024 in the “Caretakers” Short Film Program. In the piece, a survivor testifies at the trial of the Parkland high school shooter, confronting her trauma while examining the nature of hate, and of restorative justice. NYWIFT Member Cynthia Kane is Co-Producer on the film. “Death By Numbers marks the third project I’ve had the privilege to co-produce alongside Kim A. Snyder. It has been an incredible honor to collaborate with Kim, Sam, Janique, and Maria, witnessing this timely and powerful film take shape and find its way to audiences across the country and the world,” Kane told us. “Watching Sam’s remarkable growth—as both an artist and a person—since we first met her during the making of Us Kids has been truly inspiring. Even after countless viewings, this film continues to leave me deeply reflective. It challenges me to consider what restorative justice truly entails, and how individuals find the courage to reclaim their power in the aftermath of trauma and tragedy.” Snyder spoke to us on the day of the film’s premiere.

NYWIFT @ DOC NYC 2024: In Conversation with Francesca Kustra

In 2024, the cost and inequities in housing in the U.S. is at top of mind for so many. The documentary Slumlord Millionaire, directed by Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez, exposes housing injustice in NYC, following the David-and-Goliath battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the boroughs, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, and an overwhelmed housing court system. It also uncovers a troubling pattern of desirably located properties being seized for luxury developments in low-income neighborhoods, often with the system’s complicity. The film just made its world premiere at DOC NYC 2024. Brooklyn-based NYWIFT Member Francesca Kustra edited the film. Francesca began her career over a decade ago as an Assistant Editor on documentaries that have premiered at festivals such as Tribeca, Sundance, and Cannes. As someone who enjoys the challenge of combing through documentary footage to serve important stories, she was excited to do the same in the narrative world as the Editor for Steven Soderbergh’s series, Command Z. She was also an Additional Editor on the 2022 Academy Shortlisted doc short directed by Titus Kaphar, Shut Up and Paint and an Editor on Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, and most recently Slumlord Millionaire. She spoke to us about her latest project.

NYWIFT @ DOC NYC 2024: In Conversation with Dori Berinstein

In 1982, Kenneth Cole burst onto the American fashion scene. Unable to afford a traditional showroom during the New York Shoe Expo, the enterprising founder registered his footwear business as a film production, enabling him to sell thousands of pairs of shoes out of a trailer in midtown Manhattan. Cole’s unwavering determination fueled his company’s growth and his fierce commitment to social activism. NYWIFT member Dori Berinstein is the director and producer of A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole, which is making its New York Premiere at the 2024 DOC NYC Festival. Dori is a six-time, Tony-and-Olivier-winning Broadway producer and an Emmy-award-winning director/producer/writer. Documentary work includes: A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole, Showbusiness: The Road To Broadway, CAROL CHANNING: Larger Than Life and Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love (Emmy Award). Dori’s Broadway shows include: Stereophonic (Tony), Dana H, The Prom (Drama Desk), Legally Blonde (Olivier), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony) and Fool Moon (Tony). Dori executive produced Isaac Mizrahi’s award-winning Unzipped and supervised the film Dirty Dancing. As a Walt Disney Imagineer, Dori supervised Jim Henson’s Muppet*Vision 3D. Dori sat down with us to discuss her latest work.

NYWIFT @ TIFF: In Conversation with Costume Designer Rosemary Lepre Forman

Writer-director-actor Edward Burns’ latest feature film, Millers in Marriage, made its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). An ensemble drama with a stunning cast including Gretchen Mol, Patrick Wilson, Julianna Margulies, Campbell Scott, Benjamin Bratt, and Minnie Driver, Burns’ latest follows the thorny emotional lives of three siblings adrift in middle age, surveying the vagaries of long-term love while championing the possibilities for personal change. NYWIFT Member Rosemary Lepre Forman was costume designer for the film. She sat down with us to discuss her creative journey with the project and her experience at TIFF.

A Celebration of Film and Exchange of Knowledge: Previewing the NY Greek Film Expo with Maria Miles

Maria C. Miles is a well-known presence at NYWIFT gatherings, having served two consecutive terms on the NYWIFT Board of Directors and now as legal counsel for the organization. Mary – as friends and fellow members know her – frequently welcomes new faces to the organization with her warmth, generous spirit, and quick wit. And now she brings her leadership and expertise to another organization near and dear to her heart. Committed to promoting diversity in the film and television industry, Miles was named President of the Board of the Hellenic Film Society USA in January 2024. Mary offered us a unique glimpse into what the organization has in store this year, including its partnership with New York Women in Film & Television.

2024 Tribeca Festival Recap

Tammy Reese provides a recap of the red carpets, screenings, and events she covered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, including some exclusive video interviews.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol 2024 Tribeca Festival World Premiere

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol had its World Premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival on Saturday June 8th in The Indeed Theater at Spring Studios in New York City. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol picks up where season one of the series left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest. Fans of The Walking Dead Universe are eagerly awaiting to see best friends Carol and Daryl again. Tammy Reese had the honor of covering the red carpet and interviewing Reedus, McBride, and Scott M. Gimple, who are all Executive Producers. Watch her video interviews here!

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Kristi Zea

NYWIFT member Kristi Zea, an acclaimed production designer, costume designer, producer and director has once again showcased her exceptional talent at the 2024 Tribeca Festival. Zea’s impressive career spans over three decades, with notable works including designing Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas and Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs. Her latest project, Daddio, directed by Christy Hall and starring Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson, shows her ability to create compelling visual narratives even in small places. With Daddio, Zea masterfully uses the confined space of a taxi to tell a powerful story, proving her enduring influence in the film industry.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Kait Plum

Kait Plum is a force to be reckoned with in the world of film editing, with a decade of experience and a knack for finding the emotional core of any project. Her journey to success is marked by notable achievements, from winning awards for her work in documentary filmmaking to making waves in the comedy genre with her latest project, Bad Shabbos.

NYWIFT @ Tribeca: In Conversation with Dawn Porter

Dawn Porter, a distinguished member of NYWIFT, continues to make waves in the film industry with her dynamic storytelling and impactful documentaries. Known for her acclaimed works such as Gideon’s Army, Trapped, The Way I See It, and John Lewis: Good Trouble, Porter has captivated audiences across HBO, Netflix, CNN, PBS, and more. Her latest documentary, The Lady Bird Diaries, won the Lone Star Prize at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and is now streaming on Hulu. This year, Dawn takes the 2024 Tribeca Festival by storm as an Executive Producer of Rebel Nun, the director of Luther: Never Too Much, and the director of Power of the Dream. Tammy Reese checks in with her as the festival gets under way.

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